Rating: 
Summary: These are comments that can be found on the book jacket
Review: "Why should individuals in a population cooperate rather than compete? Do the evolutionary blueprints for cooperation in ant societies and among humans have anything in common? Lee Alan Dugatkin' new book is a highly readable of such intriguing subjects, and is easily accessible for all readers interested in the biological roots of cooperation.Professor Bert Holldobler, Pultizer Prize Winning co-author of "The Ants" (with E.O. Wilson) "One of the most profound paradoxes in nature is how some animals, including humans, could have become so cooperative through a harsh evolutionary process known as "red in tooth and claw." Lee Dugatkin discusses the latest thinking, which is getting richer by the day, in a manner that every one will understand." Dr. Frans de Waal, Emory University, author of Good Natured (Harvard Univ Press, 1996) and Bonobo: The Forgotten Ape (Univ of California Press, 1997). "Combining clear exposition with rich anecdote, this book is a guide to our emerging understanding of a subject upon which the future of our species may depend." Professor Sir Robert May, Chief Science Officer for The United Kingdom "The human body and the human brain can best be studied by comparing and contrasting them with those of other animals. Exactly the same applies to human behavior. Even our co-operative and moral behavior make more sense when seen in an animal context. As the designer of numerous ingenious experiments on animal reciprocity, Lee Alan Dugatkin knows this better than most. Here he breaks new ground to explore what made us human beings the nice guys we (sometimes) are." Dr. Matt Ridley, author of "The Origin of Virtues" " This is an excellent introduction to a fascinating subject. Presented clearly and with vivid facts from the lives of other animals, this book should delight anybody with an interest in cooperation". Professor Robert Trivers, Rutgers University, Dept. of Anthropology
Rating: 
Summary: Worse than Dawkins-lite, it's Dawkins-weak
Review: As a non-scientist, I find this book totally engaging and just the type of work which enables one to appreciate the thrill of scientific experimentation and discovery. The fact that an outstanding scholar such as Dr. Dugatkin can make complex data so accessible is a tribute to his writing style and ability as a teacher.
Rating: 
Summary: To a non-scientist this book is accessible and engaging.
Review: As a non-scientist, I find this book totally engaging and just the type of work which enables one to appreciate the thrill of scientific experimentation and discovery. The fact that an outstanding scholar such as Dr. Dugatkin can make complex data so accessible is a tribute to his writing style and ability as a teacher.
Rating:
Summary: Approachable summary of the field with unique perspective
Review: Dugatkin does a great job integrating the work of others and his own research into an easily read and approachable book for the educated layperson. He draws on the behvioral literature to show how insights from this growing body of work can be useful to human societies as they evolve culturally and seek to organize themselves in a way which strikes a balance between the needs of the indivdual and those of the group. Perhaps the most interesting aspect of this book is the straight-forward way in which Dugatkin approaches the dynamics between the precepts of behavioral biology and human spirituality. It is rare to find a behavioral biologist (or any biologist for that matter) who even tries to approach the subject of the interplay of spirituality and an acceptance of evolutionary mechanisms. More such openess to acknowledge the spiritual side to understanding human dymanics (whether the spirit is "real" or just a construct invented by our genes to help our brains make sense of parts of our world) is needed in science. All in all, a very engaging book which made me want to purchase more by the author. A 4 out of 5 stars from me. JJ
Rating: 
Summary: I learned a lot about cheating
Review: I currently am a member of a fantasy basketball league and have been looking for as much information on human psychology to improve my ranking. I received many good pointers from this book on how to undercut the other teams without them even knowing. I think this is a book that must be read by anyone that is interested in undermining any form of *friendly* competition.
Rating:
Summary: Cheating Monkeys and Citizen Bees
Review: I enjoyed the book, although it took me a while to really get into it. In general it covers the growth of cooperation from a genetic probabilities perspective. It is a sort of "cost accounting" of cooperation to the participants, whether related individuals in a "family" or only very distantly related individuals in a societal group. Since I had not read anything similar and the book was simply and clearly written, I found it interesting and provocative. Someone with a more thorough grounding in the field might find it overly simplistic.
Rating:
Summary: Cheating Monkeys and Citizen Bees
Review: I enjoyed the book, although it took me a while to really get into it. In general it covers the growth of cooperation from a genetic probabilities perspective. It is a sort of "cost accounting" of cooperation to the participants, whether related individuals in a "family" or only very distantly related individuals in a societal group. Since I had not read anything similar and the book was simply and clearly written, I found it interesting and provocative. Someone with a more thorough grounding in the field might find it overly simplistic.
Rating:
Summary: A first-rate work on the phenomenon of cooperation.
Review: In this easily accessible and poignantly written work, evolutionary biologist Dr. Lee Alan Dugatkin explores the mysteries behind one of nature's most perplexing occurrences: cooperation. With the rapture of a storyteller and the exacting eye of a scientist, Dugatkin weaves together strands of existing evidence (much of which, he notes, has been collected from his own laboratory) into a _highly_ original and insightful book. He moves adeptly from the empirical to the ethical as he discusses the implications and lessons of animal cooperation for human societies. As entertaining as it is educational, Cheating Monkeys and Citizen Bees, will no doubt appeal to readers on all levels. In short, it is required reading for anyone wishing to become familiar with the myriad of issues surrounding cooperation in nature.
Rating:
Summary: Great Book! Don't miss it.
Review: In this original and sharp book, Dugatkin reaches the big public with a clear and sound analysis of cooperation within and among species. I think it is both easy to read and deep in its message.
Rating: 
Summary: Unoriginal and moralistic
Review: This book is a pastiche of Richard Dawkins, with the author's own moralizing thrown in. Something like 80% of the examples were lifted directly from Dawkins, along with all of the evolutionary theory (except the mistakes--for example, Dugatkin misunderstands what "selfish genes" means). He then adds on his own suggestions for shaping public policy in accordance with evolutionary ideas; this part is the most annoying, since he is both moralistic and naive; his suggestions are simplistic and preachy. Do not read this book. Read Dawkins instead: The Selfish Gene, The Extended Phenotype, and The Blind Watchmaker.
| 
